#b5 rewatch

[dragontopaz]

B5 rewatch: Deathwalker

This woman made the Durian Massacres look like a church picnic -- and now Earth wants to give her a grant?

#babylon 5 #babylon5edit #b5 rewatch #stuff i made

[davidcgc]

Shaal Mayan: Such great hatred for so little real reason. It seems incomprehensible to me.

Delenn:

#babylon 5 #babylon 5 rewatch #the war prayer #b5 #b5 rewatch

[diamondot]

Midnight on the Firing Line: 30 years since it first aired, time to rewatch Babylon 5, baby. it's gonna be a little weird doing this at the same time as DS9.

i don't always watch tv at 9am, but i sure do when i'm feeding a 3-week-old baby. gotta start 'em young on the 1990s science fiction tv shows.

i should really watch the pilot movie sometime. this episode always feels like being tossed into the middle of something-- which is good, because there's a lot going on-- but i always wonder if this episode lands differently after the pilot.

man, i don't really think any of the characters change so much as Londo and G'Kar do. like stuff happens to everyone else, and they certainly develop, but they don't grow quite like these two. seeing them in these early episodes is such a trip every time.

Delenn looks so odd without hair. also i love her robe in the council meeting.

this scene in the bar, man. if anyone has any recs for Talia/Ivanova fics PLEASE send them my way.

#babylon 5 #midnight on the firing line #b5 rewatch #b5-rewatch

[pedanther]

If you're doing the Babylon 5 watchalong strictly according to the schedule and haven't seen the pilot movie, you won't know that the title of this week's episode is a call-back to a scene in the movie where Sinclair recalls the Battle of the Line:

“I was squad team leader when the call came in. We all knew it was a suicide mission. The Minbari had broken through, and were closing in. Every ship we had left was ordered to circle Earth. We had to stop them… no matter what it cost. They came at us out of nowhere. We never had a chance. The sky was full of stars… and every star an exploding ship. One of ours. My team was blown out of the sky in less than a minute.”

“I managed to take out a fighter before they hit my stabilizers. I was losing power, I'd lost my team. I figured if I was to die I'd take some of them with me. So I targeted one of their heavy cruisers. Hit my afterburners. I was going to ram them head-on. The last thing I remember is hurtling toward that cruiser. Filling my screen… big… my God, so big… Then something passed in front of my eyes. I guess I blacked out from the acceleration. When I came to, 24 hours later… the cruiser was gone. I checked in. They told me the war was over. The Minbari had surrendered.”

“We were beaten. We didn't stop them, they stopped themselves. And I wish to hell I knew why.”

#babylon 5 #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 rewatch #the gathering #and the sky full of stars #not a reblog

[robotshellyeah]

parliament of dreams is one of the funniest episodes imo, there are so many iconic moments and andreas katsulas was putting his whole pussy into that performance just operating at 5000 times the Drama of anyone else on the show

"do you know what the last xon said before he died? aaaaahhhh!"

"he's become one with his inner self!" "he's passed out" "that too"

"hot pink is really your color"

"you will know pain. and you will know fear. and then you will die. have a pleasant flight :) "

and of course the dramatic reveal of the assassin standing right behind G'Kar making this incredibly derpy face holding a tiny gun. incredible

#a week late to the party on the #b5 rewatch #Babylon 5 #Parliament of Dreams #G'Kar

[gretchensinister]

Babylon 5 rewatch, S1 E8: And the Sky Full of Stars

IDK if it's how I'm watching it or what, but the lighting on B5 seems dimmer than I would expect in public spaces

Okay okay plot: guy needs money for shady reasons, other guys have Sinclair as a target for who knows what

Oh, it's not notable shady reasons, it's just a gambling problem

The guy with the longish gray hair that's going to do Something to Sinclair has a very 90s energy, I can't define it but it's so notable

I like Dr. Franklin and Delenn's scene here with the practicality of getting information about other species brought up.

Yeah Delenn what DID you do during the war?

The design of that weird chair is good, I definitely believe that they built it out of smuggled in pieces and that it's going to be used for nefarious purposes

Ignoring the plot to wonder about Sinclair's kitchen area not appearing to have a sink or any appliances (I know it's just a set but I think about trying to redesign my tiny apartment kitchen a lot)

Sinclair is in the Torment Nexus

At least it's hard for the commander of an entire space station to disappear without notice

Of course it's a simulation that's what happens to guys in charge of space stations/starships, other weird guys show up to fuck with your head. Notable employment hazard.

Sinclair's Mysterious Day! Yesss let's find out about it (shame the exposition has to come through the Torment Nexus)

Sinclair is 39...I guess that makes sense. (Maybe I just know so many people in that age group with so much less responsibility.)

The angelfish-looking Minbari ships <3

If you believe in yourself you can punch your way out of the mind prison (I mean...it didn't work yet, but it might)

I think B5 as a show does well with naming things. I mean, maybe it's just familiarity at his point, but the Battle of the Line is simple, evocative, and IMO gives you an idea of what it was about

Goodbye Benson we hardly knew ye

Yeah where exactly are these "Knights" from?

I think the guy playing the interrogator would be great to see on stage.

Another human supremacist conspiracy theorist, boooo

"Maybe the universe blinked" I do like that line

"There is a hole in your mind" that was from the pilot movie we missed on the rewatch schedule, wasn't it?

:D :D :D (my reaction to the triluminary [did I remember that correctly?] appearing)

I know who that waaaaaaaas

YES you CAN punch your way out of the mind prison if you love your station enough

Delenn we (the audience) still want MANY more answers about what you were doing during the war

I have a feeling this guy is going to be interrogated by psycops as soon as he gets back to Earth

Secrettsssssss I love this dynamic though

It's an interesting 90s thing that Sinclair is comfortable making a electronic/digital recording of this EXTREMELY sensitive information, these days my perspective is if you want it to be secret it's on paper hidden in your mattress or something

#babylon 5 #b5-rewatch #b5 rewatch

[ooksaidthelibrarian]

Babylon 5 Rewatch S1E5:  The Parliament of Dreams

man I love the Drazi so much

dude, Garibaldi is testing everyone's faith

I am so sorry but the B5 romantic music to me is always like *air raid sirens* this will be a problem

I really like Catherine, mind you, it's not about her, but so many stories featuring that music end so badly :D

please tell me this is a real pig's head

(read more because this got long)

it's certainly live crayfish he has there (I hopes someone gave them a good home after, they are such neat little guys)

jeez this episode has so much going on

Andreas Katsulas has a great singing voice

I bet the 'you stay put' was ad libbed LOL

NA'TOTH

iirc the actress of Ko D'ath was allergic to the makeup so they ended up having to change out G'Kar's attachés but it works out extremely for this plot

'Catherine's on board' 'Ah.' ...that Ah had a looooot of words

that whole scene at the Cenauri banquet is so quotable

Garibaldi IS cute in an annoying sort of way

'but in purple, I am stunning!'

I really appreciate it that Sinclair and Catherine get to be adults about their reelationship

it's awkward af but also extremely relatable

'I let you and your pants get to your business' LOL

speaking of pants, Catherine's outfit is hot

G'Kar's pyjamas are iconic - I bet Khan Noonian Singh would love those

the iridescence of G'Kar's costume is so pretty

LENNIER :D :D

I once quoted the 'you will be forever walking into things' line in a fic and so far only one person picked up on it :D

Andreas Katsulas always toes the line of ridiculously over the top with G'Kar and it works extremely well - G'Kar just is a dramatic dude

this episode is a really great showcase for the chemistry the cast has with each other

G'Kar switching out his lil religious tomato out with Ivanova's in the background

the way Katsulas uses the panties as a prop to gesture with is so good :D

THE GLASSES OMG

Na'Toth is such a good liar :D

'You will know pain. You will know fear. And then you will die. Have a pleasant flight!'

otoh of course humans are again the only ones where the culture isn't a monolith but otoh I do absolutely love that scene of Sinclair showing all of the different believes of Earth

#babylon 5 #b5 #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 rewatch #b5 parliament of dreams #dai watches b5

[babylon-5-lurkers]

Babylon 5, Season 1, Episode Six: Mind War

Open Discussion thread, we're about to start watching!

#babylon 5 #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 #b5 rewatch

[thelongestway]

watching B5 for the first time since very early childhood, in honor of its 30th anniversary. back then, it didn't grab me the way DS9 did, so I never went to revisit it before, the way I did with Star Trek. 2,5 episodes in, and I'm willing to bet that the reason B5 didn't grab me is the female characters - their relative dearth, and how those present are coded. there's a reason my three "top" childhood series are DS9, Xena and the X Files. the women there were a lot closer to what I wanted to steer towards. it's an interesting thought about gender - I never had one that's particularly strong, but when I was very young and absorbing information about the world, I had a very strong heuristic that translated to "take notes - these people look like you; this is how you can expect to be treated". that decided a lot about my favorite media, even though I didn't limit myself to whom I took notes from. I cribbed a good few social strategies from Zelazny's panoply of beings, starting with Corwin. i did have my weights, though, and gender was an important one. still, B5 is neat and there's a few iconic things already, a few episodes in. I didn't know that the "X or Y?" "yes." formula was from there - maybe around earlier? but this is the earliest popular culture instance I've seen. so far my favorites are Garibaldi and Londo. Garibaldi because he's the type of person that I'd see myself as - can't stand still, works hard, but also more than a little goofy - and Londo because I have the feeling he'd be be good friends with Nie Huaisang.

#babylon 5 #b5 #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 rewatch #hi people i am joining you for what's realistically the first time #so i might jump ahead a little initially so I can participate from a rewatch perspective #and don't get too spoiled

[unearthlytraveller]

Babylon 5 Rewatch, S1 E9: Deathwalker

Running a little late due to family committments, again.

"Do you think it will always be like this? Smaller powers at the mercy of greater powers, politics before morality, expediency before justice?"

I get older, and this sentiment gets truer. It's so bloody depressing.

Some other thoughts.

We see an interesting side of G'Kar when he's talking to Na'Toth here. Not exactly moral, but there's a definite kind of honor here.

I forgot how happy Londo seems to be at the end, when the Vorlons off Jha'Dur. For all that he was willing to vote against the trial, I think this shows what he really wanted.

Speaking of which, I always found that scene at the end where everyone is watching the monitor to be funny. There's no real in-Universe reason for them all to be there, it's just so we can easily see everyone's reactions; which tells us that something's going to happen.

Ah, a 23rd century reference to VCRs. I remember using VCRs to record B5 back before the DVDs were released.

#babylon 5 #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 rewatch #deathwalker

[kyliafanfiction]

Babylon 5: Born to the purple (finally having time to do this on the day)

*The whole 'G'kar is a horndog' thing gets kind of ignored after Season 1, which does make sense (it sort of comes back in Season 5, for one scene), but it was a thing earlier on, including in this line where G'kar agrees with 'all things in live females are the greatest'

*K'odath's disbelief that G'kar would be there raises questions about Narn society and G'kar's repuation back home *God, this episode hits harder in Hindsight *I love how Arcy B5 got later on, but I also like the opening to Season 1, because it lent itself to the more episodic feel of Season 1

*Oh yeah, this is the episode with Ivanova using Gold Channel

*Vir's use of the weird Gameboy like thing is hilarious. We never see that again, probably because he learns to do it back in his quarters. *B5 throws words like 'Sector' and 'Quadrant' around without much of a real sense of place and size. No clarity as to where these places are. *This episode tells us so much about Centauri society, and really drives home where Londo sits at this point. *MOON FACED ASSASSIN OF JOY *I don't think I've ever noticed the narn playing Vir's game before when I've watched this episode. *G'kar being so thrown by Londo's Mood *THIS ASSHOLE. And plot thickens. *God, it's so heartwarming though, how much he cares about her. This is not just some 'I want a pretty woman' thing. He really does love her *Londo's password is so very him at this point in his life. *I just wish Talia had been taken to dinner by Ivanova here. *cries in shipper* *Ivanova being protective of her console feels so in-character you forget... *"Figment of your demented imagination" *I do feel like Mollari's cipher should have requried a specific tone too, but I guess a voiceprint is pretty secure *Don't Give Away The Homeworld :rofl: *"get your feet moist" I love it when Londo and Vir get earth sayings wrong *Just a casual use of a tazer in public *I get that slavery is legal in Centauri space, but how is it legal on B5?

*damn that is a fancy bug. *Trakkis, when a man says "get out" in that tone, you GET OUT

*Vir walks in with such a swagger *Negotiating via subordinates is hardly unheard of G'kar. *"Don't give away the homeworld" *You know, I get it's conservation of Characters, but these Ambassadors really do need bigger diplomatic staff. And more competent ones. Ones you can actually trust to do the job *Then I hurt Him *"My good and dear friend" ah, Londo of this season. Such a decent guy, in a lot of ways. :rofl: *Londo's failure to talk the guy around is hilarious. But sinclair's deceptions *And here it is. The other key backstory element for Ivanova **cries* fuck. *Sinclair's strategem is so risky, I'm surprised there were no downsides. *"Coming from you Ambassador, that's a real compliment" *And the thing is, Talia has a point. The Psicorps rules about these things are there for a good reason. But this is one of those things where you'd think warrants could exist. But apparently there just is no room for that? *Not that they could get a warrant in this context but *I do love the 'don't think of an elephant' trick she pulls on him *G'kar saved Londo's career, and he's gotta hide that fact so much. :rofl: *I do wonder what exactly is in those Purple Files *I love that Garibaldi knows not to press her about it. Just "it won't happen again" *God, Londo... the ending.

#B5 Rewatch #Babylon 5 Rewatch #1x03 Born to the Purple

[dragontopaz]

B5 rewatch: Mind War

They are a mystery. And I am both terrified and reassured to know there are still wonders in the universe, that we have not yet explained everything. Whatever they are, Ms. Sakai, they walk near Sigma 957. They must walk there alone.

#babylon 5 #babylon5edit #b5 rewatch #g'kar #catherine sakai #stuff i made

[unabashedllamamusic]

How did A Voice in the Wilderness Part 1 give us both the "Ivanova is God" spiel and Londo's rendition of the hokey pokey in the same episode. A true masterpiece of television. Zero notes.

#babylon5 #b5 #b5 rewatch #IT DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING #I HAVE BEEN STUDYING IT FOR SEVEN DAYS

[diamondot]

time for more Babylon 5, friends!

Soul Hunter: not my favorite episode! i honestly nearly skipped it.

it's Dr Franklin! hooray!

Sinclair is extremely ready to get the heck out in his fighter in these first couple of episodes. also this sequence where he's gotta grab the soul hunter's ship with a grapple is really cool. i really love the attention to detail with space flight in this show.

oh my god, the soul hunter is played by Mark Sheppard's father. this is my new favorite trivia and has made watching this episode entirely worth it.

so glad that both of the mid-90s sci-fi shows i'm watching have characters named Dukhat/Dukat. they're pronounced the same. granted, one of them is dead as of the show's timeline, so it's not too egregious.

Garibaldi! stepping in front of Sinclair to protect him!

yeah, this bit where Mark Sheppard's dad kidnaps Delenn and tries to murder her to steal her soul is... not the best. kudos to everyone involved for delivering these lines with a straight face tho.

at least the other soul hunter is a chill dude.

#b5-rewatch #b5 rewatch #Soul Hunter

[pedanther]

This week's episode of the Babylon 5 rewatch is the first episode of Babylon 5 I ever saw, back when it first aired. I'd seen ads for some of the earlier episodes and thought it might be interesting, but made the extra effort to catch this episode because I recognised the guest star. (Which just goes to show that casting familiar faces does sometimes work.)

And the guest star was good, but it was the ant scene that really persuaded me to stick around.

#babylon 5 #mind war #babylon 5 rewatch #b5 rewatch #not a reblog

[robotshellyeah]

some thoughts about Deathwalker:

my favorite thing about babylon 5 has always been the conversations between the ambassadors and their aides. the show is not always a story from the perspective of the human characters - sometimes you get a window into how the aliens interact with each other when humans aren't around. I really liked the scene between Na'Toth and G'Kar about why she attacked Jha'dur. if it had been her explaining herself to a human like Sinclair or Garibaldi, the cultural practice underlying her desire for revenge would have been portrayed as "alien" and less legitimate. but instead she tells it to G'Kar, who understands her completely and tells her that her behavior was right (he says that she wouldn't be narn if she felt differently, and that he's proud of her!) and therefore we the audience are reassured that her motivations are not to be dismissed. it was refreshing to see G'Kar take her side and only tell her to wait because it was necessary for political maneuvering

the plotline with Talia was kind of upsetting - I don't think I appreciated when I watched the show for the first time in college how violating that experience would be, and Sinclair and Garibaldi were so nonchalant about it at the end. Talia was like "Kosh hired me under dubious circumstances, exposed me to terrifying stimuli, and recorded my thoughts without consent presumably with the intention of using them later to hurt me" and Sinclair and Garibaldi were like "lol yeah he's a wild one". I guess there's nothing they can do about it but still yikes

why was Garibaldi allowed to go through Jha'dur's stuff when she was unconscious, seems ethically questionable

my opinion of G'Kar is so heavily influenced by how he is in the later seasons, I forgot how slimy he is in season 1. I think he experiences the most character growth of any of the cast.

Lennier is the guy we all know who's way too into military history

#b5 rewatch #babylon 5 #Deathwalker #Babylon 5 s1e9 #Talia Winters #G'Kar